


a new fairytale

by prncesselene



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Babies, Ben survives Exegol though (duh), Children, Domestic Fluff, F/M, Fluff, Married Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren, Post-TRoS, an epilogue of sorts if you will, just pure unadulterated domestic fluff, they live in naboo because of course they do, with their daughters
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-28
Updated: 2020-04-28
Packaged: 2021-03-01 21:53:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,789
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23894128
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/prncesselene/pseuds/prncesselene
Summary: “Okay, I’ll tell you a new story. This one began a long time ago… there was once a young woman—”“Was she a pirate? A witch?” Breha was instantly hooked, leaning forward, all hair-related pain forgotten. Aria settled against her mother comfortably, already too close to sleep to care either which way.“No, she wasn’t a witch or a pirate. She…” An idea came to Rey as she met Ben’s gaze warmly. Perhaps it was time. “She was no one.”
Relationships: Kylo Ren/Rey, Rey/Ben Solo, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 20
Kudos: 121
Collections: REYLO WEEK 2020





	a new fairytale

“Mama, story please?” 

Aria looked up at her mother with bright eyes, plump and soft skin clean after a relaxing bath. At two years old, she’d caught on to asking for things she knew her parents would give — extra sweets after dinner, more time to play before naps, and, of course, her favorite bedtime activity: stories. 

Rey made herself comfortable on the child’s bed, wrapping her chubby frame in her arms. Her hair was dark brown, a similar shade to hers, It was short enough that Rey couldn’t do much with it as far as hairstyles went, but long enough that it curled at the edges. She smelled of a sweet, floral perfume that had been a wedding gift from Rose and Finn.

It had taken them two years after the end of the war to decide, finally, that it was high time to make things official — not that the addition of a wedding band on their fingers or a shared surname changed anything material about their relationship. They had been mooning over each other since she’d brought him back onto the Resistance base after Exegol, bruised and bloody but _alive_. She'd held his hand throughout every step of his defection hearings, and along with his intel and expertise — not only as former Supreme Leader, but as an Organa — rebuilt the Galactic Senate with him and the rest of her friends as they worked to pick up the pieces of a directionless galaxy. The worst of it was out of their hands now, giving them the time to nurture this: their own tiny family. 

“Are you just gonna be nomads now, then? Living in that ship and traveling? _”_ Finn had said on the day he and Rose moved into their apartment on Coruscant. 

Almost, but not quite. They did travel — Ben indulged Rey in any fancy her heart desired, and together they made it a mission to explore as much of the galaxy as possible. The days of bone-dry sand and heat that pricked her skin were long gone. She’d seen tropical beaches, learned to swim in fresh lakes, and had experienced the excitement of bustling metropolises. And she’d done it all with Ben. 

When she became pregnant, they decided to settle on Naboo. It had seemed like a natural choice, given his family’s history there, and the fresh air and vibrant culture agreed with them both. 

Rey nuzzled their youngest daughter now, tucking her into the soft blankets. 

Another slightly taller, but just as child-like frame came tumbling into the room. “Did I hear the word story?!” 

At five, Breha was every bit her father’s daughter. He trailed behind her, leaning against the door. “I think I did hear that,” Ben said, eyeing Rey with amusement. 

“Yes, alright, one story before bed.” 

Breha jumped with glee, pulling Ben’s hand towards a chair on the edge of the bed. 

“Daddy, will you do the braids, please?”

Ben picked her up and sat down obediently, pulling her over to sit on his knee while he grabbed a comb and began to brush out the tangles in her hair. “As you wish, princess.” 

“What kind of story would you like?” Rey had taken to telling them children’s fairy tales, but admittedly their repertoire was a bit dry.  
  
“Happy story,” Aria sighed against her. 

“You always tell the same ones. I want something new,” Breha pouted, doing her very best not to wince as Ben pulled on her hair. It was thick and long like her father’s, which made it perfect for the elaborate styles he’d learned to do as a boy.

“Okay, I’ll tell you a new story. This one began a long time ago… there was once a young woman—”

“Was she a pirate? A witch?” Breha was instantly hooked, leaning forward, all hair-related pain forgotten. Aria settled against her mother comfortably, already too close to sleep to care.

“No, she wasn’t a princess _or_ a pirate. She…” An idea came to Rey as she met Ben’s gaze warmly. Perhaps it was time. “She was no one.”

“That’s kind of boring,” Breha whined, but Rey held out a finger. 

“She may have been a nobody, but she was very powerful. She was strong in the Force, you see, just like you, Breha.” The five year-old had begun to exhibit her Force sensitivity at only two, and had grown stronger in the years since. Ben was patient, teaching her everything she needed to know. He was also fiercely protective, which brought with it more rules than anything else. Rey was a bit more relaxed in her pedagogy, encouraging her to explore those sensitivities freely whenever Ben wasn’t around. 

“She embarked on a journey to restore balance to the galaxy, if you can believe it. Quite a big job for no one, right?” 

“Sounds like a lot of work,” Breha said as Ben finished up with the braid. She ran a hand over them, turning around to hug him. He adjusted her so she was cradled in his arms — despite her growing age, he was guilty of coddling her every chance he got — and turned towards Rey as she continued with the fairytale.  
  
“The good news is, she wasn’t alone. She made a few friends along the way, and worked with them to defeat the evil forces that had threatened to destroy the galaxy.” Rey said this with a deep, menacing tone, and Aria cowered into Rey’s chest. 

Rey ran a soothing hand up and down her daughter’s back. “While she was training and growing stronger, she met someone who worked for the bad guys.”

“Did she defeat him?” 

“No,” Rey said, meeting Ben’s misty gaze. In it, she saw the aftermath of all they’d been through to get to this small, perfect moment. “She fell in love with him.”

“ _Ew!”_ Breha stuck her tongue out, mimicking disgust. “Love? With the bad guy? I would have just punched him right there.” Rey laughed, and so did Ben, though not without a small admonition against senseless violence under his breath. 

“They did fight, especially in the beginning, but…”

Ben filled in. “She saw that he was sad and lonely. And he saw that she was, too. They understood each other in a way no one else could.” 

Aria had started to fall asleep at Rey’s side, but her older sister was wide-eyed and alert. She turned to face her father. “You know this story, too?”

He nodded, chuckling. “I do. We learned it together.” 

“Hmm. Well, what happened next? Did they end up together at least?”

Ben took over. “Not so fast, princess. The bad guy… he asked her to marry him and she said no.” He said this with a pointed gaze at Rey that she brushed off.

“He was asking her to join him on the _wrong side._ She knew he was better than that, so she rejected him.” Rey countered. 

“So, wait.” Breha sat up. “They were in love, but he wanted her to join the wrong side. Then she left him. Why didn’t they just run away to be together?” 

Ben and Rey both laughed. “You’re a smart one,” Ben said as he grabbed her, shaking her gently to elicit soft giggles in response. “Maybe they should have done exactly that. The story would have ended a lot differently.”

“Maybe not _that_ differently,” Rey offered. “But, yes. She rejected him and they spent a year apart, only to come together when a larger evil threatened to destroy them both. The girl almost died during the final battle.” 

“Why didn’t she die? If this new bad guy was even more powerful?” 

Rey sighed happily. “Love is the most powerful force in this world. She was saved by the man who loved her, who in the end had chosen the right path and turned away from the bad guys. He had risked his life for her, and it was worth it, because they made it out of there together.” 

Breha was snuggled against Ben’s chest again, eyes drooping slowly. “Hmm. Is that the end of the story?” 

Ben pressed a kiss to his daughter’s forehead. “They lived happily ever after, of course. The end.”

She was growing sleepier now, eyes almost fully closed. “Okay, I liked it. Not that boring.” 

Ben chuckled as he grabbed her small legs and carried his eldest daughter over to her room while Rey finished settling Aria in for the night. 

Their paths crossed again as they settled into their own nightly routine, forged by years of living together. 

“That was quite the story,” Ben said, toothbrush bristling over his molars. Rey snuck up behind him, wrapping her arms around his chest to peer up at him. “Quite the story indeed. One day we’ll tell them the real one.” 

He finished washing up, turning to lead her over to the bed. This life was quiet, and they’d worked endlessly in the years after the war to award themselves this pocket of calm. Finn, Poe, and Rose visited often, as did Chewbacca — the girls loved playing with the Wookiee just as much as he had as a child — and their lives were full. Happy. One too many diapers and meltdowns, probably, but he didn’t mind the work. It made him feel useful. 

They lay now in their bed, her smaller frame nestled protectively under his. His arms gripped her torso and their legs were tangled together. They slept just like this most nights, and had become so in sync that these movements were as natural as breathing. And yet, he didn’t let himself take them for granted for a moment. Each second he shared in this life with his wife and daughters was priceless to him.

“I wouldn’t change a thing, you know.” She pressed a kiss to his forearms before turning around to face him. “If it meant being with you. I’d choose you, every single time. No matter what.” 

Their story had not started happily; his trauma would follow him for the rest of his life, and it was a weight he’d bear until his dying breath. Hers, he imagined, would follow too. But looking at Rey, glowing in the soft moonlight of his family’s estate, he found he agreed. They had taken the broken pieces of themselves and built something beautiful — and now they had their own family to prove it. He would live with the regret of his choices bitter on his tongue, certainly, but they had led him to _her._ Life gave everyone small mercies, and he was one lucky bastard if this life of bliss was his. 

He whisked his hand around her waist to bring her closer to him, pressing a soft, slow kiss to her lips. 

“Neither would I.”

  
  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Some notes:  
> • Breha is named after Breha Organa, of course. I am quite adamant that Ben wouldn't want to name their children after a legacy - so as to not place the burden on them that was placed on him - but he never knew Breha and so I consider it his quiet way of honoring his mother's adopted mother, as well as Alderaan itself. I include this because I agonized over this decision for longer than it took me to write this. Ha!  
> • The name Aria comes from the [Rominaria flower](https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Rominaria_flower), typical to Naboo 
> 
> Thank you for reading! This was in response to the prompt for Reylo Week 2020: Mythology / Legends / Fairy Tales. Hope you enjoyed! :)


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